Support road.cc

Like this site? Help us to make it better.

Rapha kicks off 20th birthday celebrations with limited edition Flanders-inspired collection

London brand has also created a one-off switch out kit for EF Pro Cycling men and women ahead of Sunday’s Monument

Rapha, the London-based cycling clothing brand launched in 2004, is kicking off its 20th birthday celebrations next week with the launch of a limited edition Flandrien Collection – the first of five collector’s edition ranges that the company will release during the year.

Also announced today is a one-off switch-out kit in black and white and with design elements harking back to the 1960s that the men and women of EF Pro Cycling will wear while racing the Tour of Flanders on Sunday.

The Flandrien Collection will go on sale on Monday 2 April in Rapha Clubhouses worldwide as well as through the brand’s website, ahead of which Rapha Cycling Club members will have exclusive 24-hour access to the range.

Items in the range (with RRPs in brackets) are Men’s & Women’s Flandrien Classic Long Sleeve Jerseys (£185), Men’s Flandrien Classic Bib Shorts (£210), Flandrien Unisex Classic Quarter Zip Knit (£150), and Flandrien Merino Socks (£22).

Rapha Flandrien Collection 2024 (1).jpg
Rapha Flandrien Collection 2024 (7).jpg

 

Rapha Flandrien Collection 2024 (7).jpg

The company says that its 20th anniversary campaign, entitled ‘Past Forward’, will be “a global celebration of Rapha’s origins and evolution, and a beacon for the brand’s creative continuum.”

According to the company, the campaign “is about Rapha’s unique story, how the company has and always will be a definitive marque in cycling.”

Rapha adds that “the celebrations throughout this season will culminate in a show in London in September, paying homage to the original ‘Kings of Pain’ exhibition which Rapha launched with in 2004.

“This 2024 exhibition will take a fresh, forward looking approach to cycling, envisioning the future of the sport and the development of its culture.”

UCI rules allow teams to change their kit design once a season, and the EF Education-EasyPost men’s line-up for the Tour of Flanders, led by past winner of the race, will be wearing a one-off switch out kit, as will the EF Education-Cannondale riders including Paris-Roubaix winner Alison Jackson in the women’s race.

EF Pro Cycling switch out kit for Tour of Flanders 2024 (picture credit - Grubers) (8).jpg

“This classic, monochrome collection pays homage to the brand’s founding modernist aesthetic and is the first checkpoint in a year-long showcase of Rapha’s legacy and how the past informs the brand’s forward momentum,” says Rapha.

EF Pro Cycling switch out kit for Tour of Flanders 2024 (picture credit - Grubers) (12).jpg

“The EF Pro Cycling switch out for Flanders is about celebrating Rapha’s provenance and applying it to modern day racing apparel,” the brand continues.

EF Pro Cycling switch out kit for Tour of Flanders 2024 (picture credit - Grubers) (10).jpg

“With a name and logo harking back to the golden era of cycling in the 1960s, Rapha has always used the sport’s traditional vernacular to create timeless products with performance and style.

EF Pro Cycling switch out kit for Tour of Flanders 2024 (picture credit - Grubers) (5).jpg

“The classic design, constructed with modern materials for optimal WorldTour performance, pays tribute to the jerseys of the past, where all partners were represented by a single typeface on a rider's jersey, adding an authentic touch to the kit,” the company adds.

Picture credit for all EF Pro Cycling switch out kit photos: Jered and Ashley Gruber

Simon joined road.cc as news editor in 2009 and is now the site’s community editor, acting as a link between the team producing the content and our readers. A law and languages graduate, published translator and former retail analyst, he has reported on issues as diverse as cycling-related court cases, anti-doping investigations, the latest developments in the bike industry and the sport’s biggest races. Now back in London full-time after 15 years living in Oxford and Cambridge, he loves cycling along the Thames but misses having his former riding buddy, Elodie the miniature schnauzer, in the basket in front of him.

Add new comment

4 comments

Avatar
don simon fbpe | 1 month ago
2 likes

I preferred cycling when kit was not stratospherically expensive.

Avatar
Freddy56 replied to don simon fbpe | 1 month ago
2 likes

There is loads of options. LeCol you look at the price and divide by 2, NO one has ever paid full price as there is an everlasting sale. Galibier are always great value and the quality is the same or better than Rapha and DHB make or made super winter kit, not sure if they have survived the Wiggle downfall.

Avatar
don simon fbpe replied to Freddy56 | 1 month ago
1 like

I have pricey kit, 2x Gabba (1 at 10 years old) and Castelli rain jacket plus 2x Galibier rain jackets and Santini jerseys. I also rememeber the €4.00 cycling shorts I had from decathlon which lasted for years and the €20.00 Decathlon bibshorts that are starting to fall apart after 20 years of use, I have a £10.00 jersey which is still in regular use after 25 years. Not one ride has been negatively impacted by not having £100+ bibshorts. Rapha just pulled all prices up, making the cheapest £45.00 bibs from Decathlon look like a bargain.

Avatar
stonojnr replied to Freddy56 | 1 month ago
0 likes

But LeCol designs are poor, bar the all black jersey,this looks to have had some thought go into it, but £185 for a jersey is daft.

Sell it for half the price, which it almost undoubtedly costs to make, they'd sell loads, surely that's the goal of a business that wants to stay in business?

Latest Comments